B O N D : the rat and the god
by lotus head
Summary: Side story 1 up! [Yuki, don't cough in front of the head of the family.] ::MAJOR YUKI SPOILERS::
1. chapter 1: meeting God

**disclaimer **I no own. I own dryer lint, candy wrappers, and teh computer. I don't even own teh Fruits Basket anime. I only own a hundred or so badly translated Furuba manga chapters on my computer. I don't own any songs, either! I just copy and paste lyrics!

**warnings **none this chapter.

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based closely off of Chapter 84. A lot of text from straight out of the scanlations I have.

**bold- Yuki's thoughts from the scanlations  
**_italic- speech from the scanlations  
**bold italic- Akito's speech from the scanlations  
**/italic- speech that I made up_

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Sondre Lerche- Maybe You're Gone

You have been waiting all your life  
You use your patience to stay fine  
Time moves on as you prepare  
to tell yourself be reasonable

Then come the times you can't foresee  
you cannot leave, you can't release  
to keep you far from those dreams  
Ignoring the right times  
Oh, waiting was my life.

For now it's too late  
for you may not wait  
and things that I have yet to know  
vanish before they're complete

I may turn around  
to see if you're still there  
but as for now, it's just not safe  
Maybe you'll wait for me  
Maybe you're gone.

You've been preparing all your life  
You've had some trouble getting it right  
And you try to tell yourself it may work, as it should  
But something good can do much harm

The good may kill for your embrace  
to keep you far from those dreams  
you know you cannot dream  
I'm stuck for now, it seems.

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**B O N D: the rat and the god **

**bond  
**–n, something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.

_chapter one: meeting God_

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When I was young, very young, still unchanged by Akito, I was fairly normal. As normal as I could be with the curse, anyways. I was quieter than most, which was probably because of the fact I was the rat, and probably more thoughtful, and I had that annoyingly constant cough, but I was normal, and happy.

I first went to live with Akito when I was four years old, the first time I had ever come into contact with any zodiac member apart from my brother. I had never really thought about what my mother thought about our condition. All my thoughts of my mother and brother were love and admiration, and it took a long time for those feelings to change.

We had a big house, one that had 'upper middle class' written all over it. Figuratively, of course.

My mother was the rather typical business mom, always rushing off to work and not showing much love to her children. I always loved to watch her, so pretty and strong. I don't remember my father much; he was always away on business trips in foreign countries. I do remember some things; he was always being pushed around by my mother. It wasn't very scary to me, it was perfectly normal to see my mother scolding my much taller father about something or another. She was always nice to me and my brother though, giving us candy and toys.

My brother was never home often either, and I remember wondering what could be so much fun, that brother would always rather be there than here? At that time I didn't know Hatori or Shigure, the people my brother was always spending his time with. He didn't officially live with them, but he was over at one of their houses almost always.

I had to see the doctor frequently, at the actual hospital. I didn't like that doctor, because he never really cared about me. I could tell when his expression changed, when mother handed over a note and a wad of cash. _See what you can do. Just up the dosage, a little. _Of course, I didn't know what that meant, but I did know that the next night when I took my meds they would be bigger than before. I didn't trust him, after the first three sessions with him. I would always glare at him suspiciously before darting out my hand to grab the (cherry flavored) lollipop.

I don't remember much else, if we had a dog, if we had babysitters, anything. I was too young, at four, to remember most of it, before Akito.

My mother woke me up one day, shaking me, and said /_wake up, pack your things. You're going to live with the head of the family! Mother is so proud._ I packed my things, and was dressed up neatly by my mother in my best clothes. I was too young to really be afraid, but I worried in the way four year olds do when meeting an important person. My brother had been away at the time, probably on some school trip or something.

_The birth of a child possessed by the rat is, as you know, to the Souma's, a particularly auspicious occasion. And for Akito-san, it seems to be an even more joyous occasion than it was for our previous head of the family._

These words meant nothing to me as I walked through the halls of that huge, cold house. I was amazed at how big that house was, but I wouldn't want to live in it. It was chilly, almost frightening, but not very. I wasn't listening very intently to the conversation carrying on. Many of the words were too complicated for me to understand, and I never realized that /I was the one they were talking about.

_But… this child is very sickly… it worries me. I'm afraid that instead of being satisfied with Yuki, he'll end up refusing to put up with him… _

I had never thought of myself as sick. The cough had been with me as long as I could remember; the cough was a part of me. I could never really understand why people found it so intolerable, and why my mother would think that someone wouldn't like me because of it.

_My my… worrying over such things… It is said that between 'God and the Jyuunshi' there is a 'bond' that can't be put into words… they will quickly harmonize with each other._

I tuned out of the grown ups conversation as my cough grew louder.

_Yuki, don't cough in front of the head of the family._

I never wanted to disappoint my mother; it meant so much to me to be approved of. It was just as natural to me as coughing to clap my hands over my mouth to try and stifle the cough.

_Akito-san…I have brought them._

I felt nothing out of the ordinary until I walked into that room, the room that Akito was reading in. I saw Akito, a smile on his face. I saw only Akito, and my mother's order to stop my coughing was forgotten, the cough itself was forgotten. My hands dropped away from my mouth.

_Wh-what's this? Yuki, what are you crying for, Yuki?_

Tears had started welling up from my eyes. **But it wasn't me. Something was screaming out from deep deep deep down in my heart. **

**I wanted to meet you. I didn't want to meet you.**

**I want to hug you. I want to run away.**

_Earlier… when other persons possessed by the spirits came, they also cried… If this is not what is called a "bond", I don't know what to call it… It is an unbreakable destiny._

I had tuned out everything they were saying, my whole being entirely focused on the boy walking towards me. The contortion of his lips could have been a gentle smile or a cruel smirk. Sometime during my shock my hand had dropped and fisted my coat tightly.

**Loved. Hated.**

His arms reached up and embraced me.

**_I finally meet you, my Yuki…_**

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by T.I.B.E.-sway- completed 1/09/07

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Don't forget, this is simply my interpretation of Chapter 84. If I get enough positive reviews, I'll continue with more of Yuki's childhood. If you don't review, I'll sit around and cry all day. If I do continue, the rating will go up a bit, for child abuse.

Please tell me your opinion regardless! If you caught anything that seemed wrong to you, if you think my style sucks, ANYTHING, please, please review. It really means a lot to me when you people review!

BTW, if you want me to continue, please give me more ideas! Any thoughts on this, how to improve it, how to continue it, are very appreciated. ;'(o.o)';

REVIEW!


	2. chapter 2: I hate this house

**disclaimer **I no own. I own dryer lint, candy wrappers, and teh computer. I don't even own teh Fruits Basket anime. I only own a hundred or so badly translated Furuba manga chapters on my computer.

**warnings **none this chapter.

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**B O N D: the rat and the god**

**bond  
**–n, something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.

_chapter two: I hate this house_

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The first couple of months I spent in that house were peaceful. 

I would see my mother twice a week when I was lucky, when I would have to go to the doctor's. Hatori was too young to be a doctor then; he was still in high school. I would beg her to let me come back home, but it was for no other reason then that I wanted to be back with my mother.

The only people who frequented the main Somha household were the servants, Ren, and Hatori. And Akito, of course. Akito never left the house. He would be there when I left, and he would be there when I got back. I never knew why Akito left the house; I was only told that he was sick. I always wondered about that, because I had never seen Akito sick. But I believed it, of course, because there were a lot of things about that house I didn't understand.

Hatori would arrive when school got out. When Akito sent me away or the servants said I had to leave, I would go and visit with him. I always thought Hatori was amazing. Anything I would ask him, he would know the answer. I would try and sneak up on him, but he always heard me no matter how quiet I was. Which was pretty quiet, considering I was the rat.

I liked to hang around Hatori and try to wheedle information about Ayame out of him. He always seemed to be strangely protective over him, and it made me think my brother must be a great person, to have someone like Hatori care about him so much.

When I wasn't with my mother or with Hatori, I was usually with Akito. Akito and I could spend hours coloring. We would sit around in his room all day, playing with his toys, or we would go out into the garden to play. Akito liked to sit on the bench and look at the birds while I played in the dirt, with the sunlight dancing in his dark hair.

Me and Akito were best friends, but maybe only because we were around each other all the time. Some of the servants commented on how alike we were beginning to seem. With our similar hair cuts, and our gentle little smiles and how we would always scamper quietly around the house, trying not to be seen.

I didn't see how we were alike. I had silver hair, Akito had black hair. Akito had a stronger personality than I did. Akito didn't have coughing fits. I didn't have temper tantrums like Akito did.

There were times when Akito would be sullen and stay in his room for days. Hatori always told me to leave Akito alone when he was like that, and I would, sitting outside Akito's door playing with something until he finally opened his door. The only time he was ever mean to me was when we would go see Ren.

I never liked his mother. She would always smile at us, but it was the type of smile that made me think she wanted to eat us. Akito would always stiffen and glare at her until she left. When she was out of sight, he would reach for my hand and hold it tightly, not looking at me or anything else in particular. I would always let him.

Akito always understood what I needed to an extent that almost scared me. When I was too tired, he would always send me off to bed, and almost as soon as I knew my asthma was acting up he knew also and would find someone to take care of me. He would share the crayons, he would help me tie my laces, he would comfort me when I wet the bed.

When I was unhappy, about mother or not being allowed to leave or something else, he always could tell. He would say comforting things to me, that he would always love me even if she didn't. When he would find me huddled up and crying, he would always pull me into a hug with a smile so gentle I would cry even harder for ever wanting to have left. He would stay with me until I stopped crying, and he didn't care even though I would leave huge wet spots on the sleeve of his yukata.

He knew I hated that house. It was too old, too dark for my comfort. I hated how big it was and how the floor boards would creak as I walked across the floor. I hated the wide windows that only lit up the outer rooms.

I was always afraid of getting lost and swallowed up by that huge house, so we made it a ritual to explore. We would go from room to room in our yukatas, holding hands, bare feet pattering on the wooden floor.

I took it all for granted, the good days when we were so young. We couldn't see the storm brewing near by. We were completely obliviously to the creeping darkness.

_In those days I truly loved Akito without fear._

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T.I.B.E.-sway- completed 2.13.07

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YES!!! Done with chappie two. Finally. I know, there's nothing exciting yet. The abuse will come! Eventually. Sorry this chapter was so short. Only 2 pages!

…I'm really starting to hate this. My writing style is terrible and it annoys even myself.

Also, I fixed chapter 1. The formatting. Yup.

Chapter 3 will come eventually! But I don't think anything exciting… exciting being Yuki abuse… will appear until chapter 4.

Anyways, thank you so very much to the lovely reviewers! It means a lot to me that you all reviewed. And I need at least 5 more reviews- so, that's 13 reviews- until I put up the next chapter! Or, at least, start working on it. XD. Well, school gets in the way, you know. TTTnTTT. I'm going to start taking Running Start (free college in high school) next year, so I've been looking at courses all day.

If anyone has something that they think would help me with my writing, that would be sooo great! It's always terrific to hear other people's ideas.

…and my, you all must be mad at me for leaving such a horrendously long author's note…

COMMENT! CRITICIZE! COMPLIMENT!

…and if you're not reviewing because you think this fic isn't worth a review or something, you could review and tell me that! I really do want to know your honest opinions. Also, does anyone know the name of Akito's dad? …I've forgotten it.


	3. chapter 3: birthday

**disclaimer **I own Furuba. _sarcasm, sarcasm_

**warnings **none this chapter.

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**B O N D: the rat and the god **

**bond  
**–n, something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.

_chapter three: birthday_

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My birthday was in just over a week, and I was excited. That meant soon I would be able to go to kindergarten, and meet other people, something I was both reluctant and eager about. I didn't want to leave the comfort of Akito, who was always there for me and someone I knew, but I wanted to make more friends too, although I was scared I wouldn't be able to.

I didn't talk about going to school around Akito. When I did, he would go quiet and refuse to talk to me. I knew he would be lonely in that house, with no one to play with. But it wasn't as if I had a choice anyways- my mother had told me, in her buisness- like voice, that I had to go to kindergarten. It was the law.

It made me wonder why Akito didn't have to go, since he was a couple of years older than me, but I passed it off as just another thing I didn't understand about the way things worked.

I counted down the days till my birthday every night.

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

The day before my birthday, the house was silent as ever.

1

The day of my birthday, Akito woke me up and gave me a drawing. The servants presented me with a cake.

My mother never came to see me.

I cried all night, and no matter how much Akito tried to comfort me I wouldn't stop.

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Three days after my birthday, my mother came to visit me.

She apologized, knelt down and held both my hands, and with her condenscending 'mighter-than-thou' smile, said she had an important buisness meeting so she hadn't been able to come see me.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. Mommy will be there next year, I promise!"

I turned my head so she couldn't tell I was going to cry. She froze, and raised her hand as if she was going to slap me.

Akito, standing right outside the door way, coughed. My mother looked at him, and then at me, and with a plastic smile barely covering up her fury patted me on the head and stormed out of the room.

Akito held me until I stopped crying, and my hiccups faded away.

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I hung my birthday present on the wall. Scribbled blue sky, flower-dotted green hills, yellow sun, white clouds and black birds.

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**by** T.I.B.E.-sway- **completed** 3.1.07

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CHAPTER NOTE- this is Yuki's 6th birthday, methinks.

Sorry this was so INSANELY short. So short, so short, so short! So sorrrrrrry! I was having troubles writing. I know where I want to go, it's just difficult getting there...

But you have something to look forward to! Yuki-abuse starts soon! In one of the next two chapters. I have to decide. Maybe… minor Yuki-abuse next chapter? Woo.

And, to my reviewers---

UBER- THANK YOU! It means so much to me that you all reviewed. And thank you, i am nameless, for the name of Akito's dad.

Anyways, more reviews, please! I have to have at least at least 18 reviews before I as much as THINK about posting the next chapter. Yup, yup.

COMMENT! CRITICIZE! COMPLIMENT!

Oh! And before I finish… 47 people have read the 2nd chapter out of the 64 who have read the first! That means… it was actually worth reading to a lot of people! EGO BOOST! Yay. And again, SO SORRY ABOUT THE EVIL SHORTNESS. AND GENERAL SUCKINESS. But I assume y'all have grown accustomed to that...


	4. side story 1: mint

**B O N D: the rat and the god **

**bond  
**–n, something that binds, fastens, confines, or holds together.

_side story one : mint

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I have a garden outside the house.

It's really tiny. I try to hide it, and you can't see it unless you look for it. It's outside the back door on the side of the patio, and it's only me and Akito who ever go back there anyways.

If you get there at exactly 3 o'clock, after lunch and before snack time, the light shines through the windows and makes a really pretty pattern. It's fun to sit there and watch it change, rainbow on wood. I tried coloring it once on a piece of paper, but there weren't enough crayons to do all the colors right.

The best thing in my garden is the mint. I only have mint, potatoes, and some flowers. The potatoes I found in the kitchen. No one even noticed I took them. But I don't think they're good to eat.

If you crush the mint between your fingers, it's the best smell in the world. Akito always knows when I've been in the garden, though, because I always smell like mint. He asks to smell my fingers, and his breath tickles.

Normally, no one else catches me. Ha-san is always reminding me that the doctor said not to go outside too much. But he goes outside all the time! So I just make sure to wash my hands carefully. So I don't get sick and have Ha-san yell at me.

I really want to get more things for my garden. The main garden, out in the front, has such pretty flowers! But I'm afraid to take one, since there are always people out there and I'm sure they would notice if one went missing.

I really want one, though. They're so pretty. The white ones, especially, because they just sort of glow when it's bright out.

I should ask Akito if he wanted to sneak out front with me. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

I'll just promise to give him my next cookie at snack time. Unless it's a sugar cookie. Those are my favorites.

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I am so sorry! This is so late... Sorry! And this isn't even a real chapter... just a little side story. Wah. Forgive me? I don't know when the next chapter will come out... 

And thank you, to my lovely reviewers! It means so much to me, really, that you review. So please, continue to review, ne:3


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